A fresh catch from Soon Wiley...plus a book giveaway

 

Credit: Liz Lyon Photography

We're pleased to welcome Soon Wiley to CLC today, to talk about his latest novel, Cece Downing's Start Over Summer. This story sounds perfect for reading on the beach or by a pool (or even in a cool, air conditioned house) with a tall glass of lemonade. The cover is so inviting too. Thanks to Dutton, we have THREE copies to give away!

A native of Nyack, New York, Soon Wiley is the author of the novel When We Fell Apart. He currently teaches English in the Upper School at Greenwich Country Day School, where he also serves as chair of the English department. He resides with his family in Connecticut. Visit Soon at his website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:
Recently fired from her dependable career as an actuary, and recovering from a messy breakup with her fiancé, thirty-two-year-old Cece Downing is holed up for the summer in New London, Connecticut, without a plan. Mounting financial debts soon force Cece to take the first job opportunity that comes her way—one she’s wholly unsuited for—as a deckhand on an oyster boat.

Surprisingly, Cece finds herself loving the job: working with her hands, breathing the fresh sea air, and learning the ins and outs of oyster farming. And despite her overbearing mother’s pleas to get a “real” job and reunite with her wealthy fiancé, Cece plunges headlong into an ill-advised romance with her neighbor, a handsome shipyard worker named Morgan.

When a proposal to expand the oyster farm throws the community into an uproar, pitting wealthy waterfront owners against blue collar workers, Cece finds herself caught in the middle. And as a family crisis forces her to reevaluate her reckless choices Cece must come to terms with what she’s willing to sacrifice for the life she wants to live. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Cece Downing’s Start Over Summer is a perfect beach read—fun, thoughtful, romantic!” 
—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful 

"Soon Wiley has gifted us wonderful characters and a totally satisfying story." 
—Annie Hartnett, national bestselling author of The Road to Tender Hearts

"Wiley's prose is precise and restrained, with an observational grace that carries the novel forth like a steady, well-kept tide." 
—Weike Wang, author of Rental House

What is a favorite compliment you received on your writing?
Someone once told me that my writing made them feel seen. That was about the most fulfilling thing someone has said about my work. 

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing Cece Downing?
Since this book was my second novel, there were a lot of false starts. Getting my first novel published felt like such a monumental task, so I was a bit drained when it came to thinking about where I wanted to go with my sophomore effort. Just from a stamina point, it was incredibly challenging to get back into the daily rhythms of writing and revising. Luckily, I developed this novel from a short story I’d written a long time ago in graduate school, so I never felt like I was starting from nothing. As a character, Cece had existed for a long time in my head. 

As for rewards, finishing a novel is always a nice feeling. When you start out it always feels like this impossible thing you’ll never complete, but if you chip away at it slowly but surely, you eventually get to the end, and then you sort of just sit back and look in wonder at what you’ve written. Whether it’s any good is an entirely different question, but just the act of finishing a book is deeply rewarding.
 
If Cece Downing were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
What a great question! I’ve been watching Off Campus, so I’m tempted to just cast all the actors from that show, but I’ll resist! For Cece, I think Haley Lu Richardson would be perfect. As for Morgan, the main romantic interest, I’d have to go with Christopher Abbott. 

What is your favorite summertime activity?
Anything that involves sitting by some water (ocean or pool) with a cold drink sounds about perfect to me. 

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
What an interesting question, I’ve never thought about this! I think I’d have to go with Derek Jeter. I thought his documentary The Captain was fascinating, and I’d like to think that like Derek, I try to stick to the fundamentals when it comes to my work. 

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I’d probably take you on a little drive up the coast of Connecticut where we could stop off at various spots and enjoy some delicious oysters and lobster rolls. 

Thanks to Soon for chatting with us and to Dutton for sharing his book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends June 16th at midnight EST.

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